Truffles usually come from Italy, France or Spain - so far. After all, in Germany, too, nothing stands in the way of cultivation in the opinion of experts. Some projects, in which the noble mushroom is cultivated, already exist. In the coming years it could become more and more.
As in other European countries, cultivation will also earn money in Germany, predicts Ulrich Stobbe of the Association for Truffle Cultivation and Use. Truffles have been cultivated worldwide since the 1970s - along with their host trees such as hazelnut, beech or pedunculate oak. Mushroom and tree enter into a symbiosis in which each partner benefits from the other.
For about ten years, the number of truffle plantings in Germany, according to Stobbe: "The federal territory is located in the middle of the natural range of the Burgundian truffle." The mushroom needs calcareous soils and is also found in the wild. All truffle species are under strict protection in Germany and may not be collected. Cultivated truffles are excluded.
Around 60 tons of truffles a year are marketed in Germany
In the truffle plants, which are now isolated in Germany, host trees are specifically vaccinated with truffle fungus spores. At the roots then truffles should develop. However, it takes about seven years before the first truffles can be dug up - preferably with the help of a truffle dog. The harvest is not as predictable as other crops, Stobbe explains: "At the moment, the people who grow truffles in Germany are still pioneers."
Represented are "interested mushroom fans", but also larger farms that want to build another foothold. Just a few days ago, the club Ahrtrüffel reported its first significant harvest. The group had leased land in 2006 and planted vaccinated trees. Now, among other things, 500 grams of Burgundertruffel were brought from the ground. Also in Leinebergland in Lower Saxony a private breeder harvested several noble mushrooms.
Stobbe estimates that around 60 tonnes of truffles are marketed in Germany every year - so far they have all been imported. Main growing countries are France, Italy and Spain. There are also cultures in Sweden or England. "With a regional supply, demand will grow," says the forestry scientist. To this result was also a survey among chefs come. The customers of the upscale gastronomy appreciated "freshness and regionality".
Droughts complicate the cultivation
The cultivation of truffles, however, could become more difficult as global temperature rises. This is also the topic of the truffle association's annual meeting with around 100 members in Geisenheim this weekend.
"For permanent crops, I have to look to the future," says Claudia Kammann, Professor for Climate Impact Research at Geisenheim University of Applied Sciences. "We will have a very different climate in 30 years than today." This also affects the host trees of the truffle.
Trees and fungi suffer from extremely dry phases, explains Stobbe. "For the plants, this could mean a lower yield." The truffle association therefore explores how truffle plantations can be meaningfully irrigated.
